1999 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE GEAR AND IT FAILED TO MOVE FROM PARK TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PLACE SHIFT CABLE BACK IN PLACE AND SHIFT INTO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE AUTOMATIC TRANS AXLE RANGE SELECTOR CABLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,430.

HARD SHIFTING ON MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES. SEEMS ASSOCIATED WITH RAPID SPEED CHANGES. AFTER TURNING CAR OFF AND WAITING A FEW SECONDS, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY.*AK

TRANSMISSION TOTALLY FAILED AT ABOUT 45,000 MILES. CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN UP A SMALL HILL AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION FELL OUT. WAS UNABLE TO GO MORE THAN 20 MPH TO DRIVE TO SAFETY. DEALER HAD VEHICLE FOR 1 WEEK. TRANSMISSION WAS TOTALLY OVERHAULED. AT THE TIME, A MECHANIC AT THE DEALER MENTIONED THAT GM WAS AWARE THAT THIS MODEL AND YEAR SILHOUETTE HAD A HISTORY OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THAT REPAIR WAS OVER $1,000. CAR AGAIN HAD THE PROBLEM AT 75,000 MILES - CONVENIENTLY WHEN THE WARRANTY RAN OUT BUT DESPITE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS, THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WILL RUN FINE FOR ABOUT 25 MILES AND THEN TRANSMISSION WILL BEGIN TO WHINE AND WILL JERK WHEN SHIFTING UP THROUGH THE GEARS. WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED THE PROBLEM WILL THEN NOT RETURN UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN AGAIN FOR SOME TIME. *JB

MY 1999 OLDS SILHOUETTE VAN HAS EXPERIENCED A SECOND TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE FIRST WITH 35K MILES, AND THE SECOND ONE 27K MILES LATER. I HAVE RESEARCHED NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF GM TRANSMISSION INDICATING TRANSMISSION FAILURES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. GM IS TRYING TO PASS IT OFF AS AN UNUSUAL MISFORTUNE ON MY BEHALF. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THESE FAILURES IS NEEDED FOR THE CONSUMER SAFETY AND VEHICLE RELIABILITY. I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING TO PUT A THIRD TRANSMISSION INTO A 4 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *NLM

AFTER READING THE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON POWER TRAIN, AUTO TRANSMISSION I NOTICED ALL THE SAME ISSUES. WE TOO EXPERIENCED HEAVY JERKING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AT INTERMITTENT TIMES AND REPORTED TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT REPEAT THE OCCURRENCE AND TOOK NO ACTION. DREHER HOLLOWAY. AT 48,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE DEALER CLOSEST TO THE INCIDENT, MERRIMACK STREET GARAGE, RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT, NOT REPAIR. RENTAL CAR AND REPAIR, ALMOST $4000. GM IS NOT COVERING THE COST OR ADMITTING ANY OWNERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. DREHER HOLLOWAY IS NO LONGER AN OLDS DEALER. THEY DID A "30,000 MILE GM SERVICE PLUS SERVICE ON THE TRANSMISSION, THAT PROVIDES EXTENDED TROUBLE FREE SERVICE". THAT WAS $400 WASTED. IS THIS ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE? *NLM

AUTOMATIC TRANMISSION WOULD EXPERIENCE A SHIFTING PROBLEM IN THE FIRST TWO LOW GEARS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO JERK AND A NOISE WOULD APPEAR INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

AFTER A FEW HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I CAME OUT LATER AND DROVE TO THE STORE, AND AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE SHIFTING OF GEARS (AUTO-TRANS) WAS VERY FORCEFUL, BUCKING THE VAN, LIKE IT WAS HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING. THE FIRST DEALERSHIP (PAUL BROTHERS) TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE FLUID LEVEL WAS LOW BY 1 QUART, SO THEY FILLED IT. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED OFF AND ON UNTIL I FINALLY TOOK IT INTO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP (KOONS - MANASSAS), AND THEY FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A BAD PRESSURE CONTROL SELENOID, WHICH THEY REPLACED. MY CONCERN IS THAT NOT ONLY MAY I HAVE LESSENED THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE MISDIAGNOSIS, I ALSO AM CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE PROBLEM ON OTHER SILHOUETTES IN THE 15K-20K RANGE OF THIS HAPPENING TO...

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONS, CAUSING A KNOCKING NOISE EVERYTIME THE OCCUPANT CHANGES GEARS AND MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WENT UP AN INCLINE AND STOPPED, IN THE TIME IT TAKES TO MOVE FOOT FROM BRAKE TO GAS PEDAL, AT THE TOP OF A HILL, THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO ROLL BACKWARDS WHEN IN DRIVE GEAR. THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IN DRIVE ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL. *MJS

TRANSMISSION DESIGN DOES NOT PREVENT VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARD WHILE IN DRIVE GEAR, RESULTING IN VEHICLE STALLING. MJS

AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR CLOSED ON ITS OWN. ALSO, AUTOMATIC REVERSE MECHANISM DID NOT WORK. OWNER WAS PINNED IN DOOR AND INJURED WHEN PUTTING CHILD IN SAFETY SEAT. THE VAN IS BEING LOOKED OVER BY DEALERSHIP. *AK

VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARDS WITHOUT STOPPING WHEN IN DRIVE ON A UPWARD INCLINE. THE TOURQUE CONVERTER DOES NOT STOP THE CAR FROM ROLLING BACK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THIS IS NORMAL AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS. A VAN SHOULD NOT ROLL BACK 20 FEET WHILE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE. *AK